Born from a seed, the tree bears seed. The land spends itself to create what will thrive next spring. Fruit swells to bursting. Humans, animals, and birds harvest the grains, nuts, and berries of the land. Plants begin to fade, their life concentrated on a single point: the new kernel, pulsing with stored-up life. We too know the journey will continue past the present moment. We turn from one year to the next. We use the growth of past seasons to sustain a new one.
-Rabbi Jill Hammer from The Jewish Book of Days, “The Fruit: 15 Av – 29 Elul”
Tonight marks the start of Elul, the month leading to Rosh haShanah. Are you ready? (If you aren’t sure, click here for your wake-up call from the folks at Judaism Unbound!)
In his book This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared, Rabbi Alan Lew shared his own spiritual journey towards the High Holy Days. Since then, many of us have followed his call to begin our annual reflections the month before the holidays, not when we show up for the Kol Nidre service on Erev Yom Kippur.
This year, to support my shmita practice, I finally purchased a copy of Lew’s book along with a few others to better ground myself and lead our community in Jewish cycles of time. At KSS Board Meetings and Avodat Lev services throughout 5782, for example, I’ve been reading from R’ Jill Hammer’s The Jewish Book of Days.
Hammer’s work is predicated on the notion of circular time and reflects cycles of the natural world, and our interactions with it. She writes, “Throughout this yearly circle, planting and harvest, cold and heat, become our spiritual teachers and guides.” I can think of no better model for us to consider, being a community founded on Earth-based connections with and practices of Jewish values.
At this time, we find ourselves enjoying the fruits of our labors throughout the year and planting seeds for the year to come. Last week, Cora and I led a farm camp and since there isn’t the usual lot of annual vegetables growing, we focused on seed saving. Each day we showed the kids something new that was bearing its fruit in the form of seeds – some kale left over from last fall, flowers of all kinds including sunflowers I started from seeds foraged from an easement while walking the dog, beans, and garlic that was never gathered. We celebrated the volunteer tomatoes and potatoes, born of seed that dropped last fall.
I’m also paying special attention in this moment to the monarchs. Recently classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, their migration through Ohio seems shorter and later each year. We were lucky enough to find one caterpillar last week that we’re nursing in a jar on the kitchen counter. Along with the baby chicks in our guest room, the house feels alive with possibility and I look forward to releasing all these winged friends into the world in the coming weeks.
As we move towards the high holidays, what are you cherishing? What have you released this shmita year and how are you setting yourself up to leave those things behind? What new seeds do you hope to plant in 5783 and which weeds are you ready to compost? I look forward to seeing you soon to hear.
Jodi Kushins
KSS Board Chair